KK Members Blog

As someone who has lived in both these places, I feel I have a unique perspective worth sharing:

I moved to Las Vegas in '95 to play hockey, and, it seems equally absurd to me to place an NHL team there now as it did to play hockey there 20 years ago. I moved there straight out of high school and joined a league known as the WSHL, the Western States Hockey League. We referred to as Whatta S*$#%y Hockey League. It was junior, I don't think we even distinguished between A or B, but, it was decidedly B. We had fans in the single digits consisting mostly of our billet families.

20 years ago the death of legendary Anatoliy Vladimirovich Tarasov. His contribution to the development of the domestic School of hockey is so huge that, so far, Tarasova remember and the players themselves, and of course, trainers. Under the direction of Anatoly Vladimirovich USSR national team nine times and won the World Championships (1963-1971) three times and became the champion of the Olympic Games (1964, 1968, 1972).

The undersized star that shouldn’t even be on the ice yet dominates play.

My introduction to this elusive player was none other than Theo Fleury. At 5’6” (some say that’s generious) Fleury could not be ignored as the undersized power forward. He was built like a semi truck with the speed and agility of a super car. In his prime he was the number one threat that had to be shut down in Calgary. Good luck with that. When he wasn’t scoring goals he was crushing players all over the ice. And when he got angry he may as well have been the Hulk’s Mini Me taking on players who towered over him and beating the living snot out of them. He was so memorable in my house that a conversation about jerseys turned into reminiscing about when Fleury’s jersey was too bloodied to allow him back on the ice after a cut. A fan volunteered to give him a team signed jersey to get back in the game. Fortunately the equipment manager found a spare jersey with another number on it and quickly added Fleury’s name to the back. I didn’t know number changes were legal during games, but the refs allowed it and back in he went.

I don't care about the circus, as entertaining as everyone has made it. I don't care about the result, as the Wings will survive and continue to rebuild into a contender regardless of Babcock's decision.

I do care about the record, and this everyone's chance to place your predictions. This is not a debate, merely the answer to a simple question

Is Babcock staying in Detroit?

For the record, I think Babcock has had his fun and will be re-signing with Detroit.

I love hockey no matter who is playing. I love this sport. I love anything to do with this sport because hockey truly is "the coolest game on ice." My team, the Red Wings, have exited the playoffs in the first round, again. Yet life goes on and so do the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That's why I keep watching, no matter who is playing. I always have.

Sometimes I find a team to root for the rest of the way, or I already had another team I was watching and rooting for. Sometimes I dislike a team so I automatically root for the other one. Sometimes I'm going in with no reason to root for either team so I wait for one team to give me a reason to root against it. That inevitably happens, usually because of a goon, but sometimes because a player, coach or GM starts whining about something and makes me dislike them enough to want the team to lose. Sometimes a player catches my eye, or a line, or as I watch I like the entire team, so I root for them. Whatever reason develops, one always presents itself.

But the number one reason I keep watching? Simple: I love hockey. I always have, and I always will.

Canadian teams only! Go ahead use only Canadians, no dual citizenship. No First Nation Peoples,cmon Don Cherry don't be conflicted. Use only 100% pucks made from 100% home grown Canadian materials and that goes for sticks, ice making equipment and the tires on the Zamboni too.

Yep, sorry you can't. Mr. Zamboni is all American and has the patent too.

However, what this rant is really about is the Tampa Bay Lightning and their attempt to control people.

From an era where goaltenders seemed more fee spirited than the current versions.

Don McLeod passed away a week ago today at the age of 68.

It could be argued, he was the first of the stickhandling goalies, the Calgary Sun article describes meoires of Smokey.

Don 'Smokey' McLeod remembered by former teammates

McLeod, who hailed from Trail, B.C., thus the nickname, won the Memorial Cup with the Edmonton Oil Kings in 1966, defeating Bobby Orr and the Oshawa Generals in the best-of-seven series.

He turned pro with the Detroit Red Wings organization, finally stepping into the NHL in 1970-71 before being claimed by the Philadelphia Flyers after that season and spending one year split between the big leagues and the minors.

He jumped to the WHA for its inaugural season, 1972-73, and the following year led the Houston Aeros, who featured Gordie Howe, to the Avco Cup championship, a year in which he was named the league’s top goalie and to the loop’s all-star team.

“One thing I know for sure is you don’t win a championship without a hot goalie, and he was darn good for our hockey club when we needed him,” said Mark Howe, Gordie’s son and a hall of famer who was part of the Aeros team as an 18-year-old rookie.

I have to admit, I am kind of bummed. I have always been proud to be a hockey fan. We (at least us in the States) are a bit of an anomaly. A community that sticks to their team with passion only found in the NFL after 5 hours of pregame beer and brats. Or the NBA after dropping a few hundred bucks on some Jordan’s (or Kobe’s?). And even during the best moments in the MLB (World Series), baseball has that pastoral picnic quality then we can jump in and out of during the course of 162 games.

If anyone doubts the pure passion hockey fans bring to the table, browse some of the archives posts of A2Y, Malik’s relentless reports or basically anything in the comments section of any post found here (seriously just pick any random post).

I am secretly satisfied whenever the latest controversy pops up in the other 3 major U.S. professional sports. Who is the latest to cheat, break the law, talk bad about their team. What insanely strong man has decided to "teach" his wife a lesson? Who shot who? Who got shot? Money, drugs, fame. I can’t pretend to understand the world of professional sports other than to know I am more likely to end up on the front page of the paper for doing something stupid then Pavel Datsyuk.

I know hockey isn't perfect. We have our fair share of controversy. I understand that the lack of most Americans caring about hockey probably helps damper the drama. But still. Hockey players are walking cliché machines. They say the right things, they stay out of the spotlight.

They have foundations and charities and are saving the world one goal at a time. Ok, maybe I wearing blinders.